Joseph Longo III is seeking a jury trial on punitive grounds A gay teacher has filed a lawsuit against his co-workers after harassing him over his plan to become a foster parent. Joseph Longo III, a teacher from New Jersey, claims one of his colleagues told him to “get another pet” rather than fostering […]
Joseph Longo III is seeking a jury trial on punitive grounds
A gay teacher has filed a lawsuit against his co-workers after harassing him over his plan to become a foster parent.
Joseph Longo III, a teacher from New Jersey, claims one of his colleagues told him to “get another pet” rather than fostering a child and to “find a woman” to have children with, the Mail Online reported.
He stated, under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination Act, that he was subjected to “workplace harassment based upon sexual orientation, familial, status and discrimination and discrimination based upon gender stereotype.”
Longo has reportedly been working at the school since 2000 as a social worker and named the employees in his complaint.
These include Pamela Bates-Thomas, Dr Billy Slaughter, Superintendent Dr Amiot Patrick Michel, Dale Garner and Robin Winrow.
According to the chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party’s Open Government Advocacy Project, John Paff, Longo spoke with Bates-Thomas about taking foster parent classes back in 2016.
And since telling her he has been subject to negative comments “nearly every day” since claiming Bates-Thomas called him “not a real parent”.
It’s also stated that she wouldn’t allow him to take time off to take children he was caring for to the doctors.
The lawsuit also claims Bates-Thomas and Garner would tell him that he doesn’t need to foster kids, but instead “find a woman and have kids with a woman”.
Bates-Thomas is also mentioned to not be comfortable with the LGBT club at the school.
Longo is reportedly seeking a jury trial on the grounds of punitive and compensatory damages and attorney’s fees.
Read more at: Attitude Magazine.
